


Vulnerare

by Taphe



Series: DC's Cyberpunk Universe [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Flashbacks, Healthy Relationships, Memories, Multi, OOC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24558274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taphe/pseuds/Taphe
Summary: Vulnerable: Derived from the Latin word vulnerare is to be susceptible to physical or emotional attacks or harm.There is no need to refer this type of vocabulary in my database, but I would be deceiving you if I said I neglected its existence...Jeremiah makes a promise. A promise that pulls at his core every single day.(Ships are developed later in the story)
Relationships: Butch Gilzean/Fish Mooney, Jeremiah Valeska & Jerome Valeska, Jeremiah Valeska/Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle & Ivy Pepper, Selina Kyle & Jeremiah Valeska, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne
Series: DC's Cyberpunk Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1775044
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Resonare

**Author's Note:**

> Had to re-edit some stuff for the plot's sake and my own. Hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resonare: Latin for "To Sound Again"

At first glance, the Narrows was never really a walk in the park for anyone. You would constantly have to worry about some street kid that might come over and steal your belongings or worry about getting mugged for drug money. It was more than a rough neighborhood in some people’s eyes, but to Selina, the Narrows has its perks. No matter how small they were, they were still there, and they would still appeal to the young woman regardless of the conditions.

People always complained the Narrows were cramped, smelly, and overpopulated; and they’re right. It was also dangerous and dark, and best known for its criminal activity and poverty. You had a one out of five chances of getting your belongings stolen by some random street kid, but moments like that are the most exciting events to happen in Selina’s eyes. She never focused on just how shitty the Narrows were, she only focused on surviving. “Survival of the fittest” She used to tell her street friends. The connections that are created on the dirty streets are what make the Narrows so enjoyable to live in for Selina.

It's not about the place, it's about the people you meet. Selina has made connections all over the Narrows with all kinds of people. Sure, the Narrows is an absolute hell hole and filled with backstabbing bastards who are in it for themselves, but that’s just how life is. How survival is. The Narrows was also a place where many people are just trying to find themselves; attempting to rebuild their old life without the use of sex, drugs, and violence. Many folks failed, but some have prevailed and regained a new reputation on the streets.

For Selina, that wasn't the case. Her future was already thrown away; Selina was six years old when her mother left her in the Narrows. She didn’t think too much about the why, her mother left, she just always held onto the distant hope that she would come back for her. From there on out, Selina started prioritizing her goals and decided what she should pursue in this cruel world. _‘Not Much…’_ she thought commonly thought to herself.

The young girl never wanted the life she was forced to live in now. She used to dream and fantasized that her "secret agent" mother would come back to Gotham in search of her and pick her up from this hell hole and take her home. Sadly, days turned to months, and months turned to years. By the time her fourteenth birthday rolled around, that dream had simmered down to a dull hope. Deep down, Selina knew that if she kept holding onto that hope, she would never be able to do anything.

As Selina sat down on the roof side of her flat, she always found herself gazing across the Narrows towards the old part of the city. Yeah, she lived in the city, but Old Gotham was The City. Old Gotham was the heart of Gotham city, and was the primary hub for all sorts of technological advancements. Their streets were evenly paved, the streetlights were always changed when one bulb exploded, and their buildings were always up to code. Old Gotham was everything the Narrows was not, and it was a representation of how much Gotham City didn't care about its poor citizens in the East End.

Before Selina focused on living by her own rules, she used to perform for club owners. Selina would go out to small clubs and get paid in copious amounts of cash. She learned quickly that cash was a must have when it came to life within the Narrows. Selina started setting quotas every time she went out to perform, if she did not make her usual quota, she would finish her performance and go mingle with the crowd for a bit before stealing their wallets and leaving. It wasn’t the most honest work she has down, but what the hell. This was Gotham.

She distinctly remembers the day she decided to go perform for a club that was owned by Don Falcone. She beautiful woman who was bound to a wheelchair due to an accident that nobody knows about. At first, you would assume that Falcone was a beautiful but helpless, disabled woman who never posed any real threat to anyone. She resided over tables with a regal aura surrounding her, aimlessly gazing at her people with a look of familiarity and control amongst her men. However, Falcone was known to be a cold and ruthless leader, holding power over the major’s office and the District Attorney’s office. She was serene as she was dangerous, and she made sure people knew that. Selina never took those rumors seriously, but that changed when she performed at the _Fox_.

It still amazes Cat that Sophia still maintained this much control over Gotham City. When she went comatose, she half expected to see the whole world flipped upside down when she woke up; A complete contrast to the world she used to live in before her coma. At the same time, she suspected that the world to remain the exact same way when she woke up. One thing changed, she woke up to this ginger woman hovering over her with a wet towel and a bunch of planets. She freaked out of course, but later she eventually became friends with the woman named Ivy.

Apart from the unexpected friendship, she noticed some other things changed while she was asleep. There was the news of the reemployment of a cop named James Gordon that was practically buzzing around the Narrows. There was a rumor going around that the city decided to finally release Gordon from the sleeping chamber and reinstated him as detective, but that was about it.

Another rumor she heard going around was about a guy called, “War Dog” was seen going around the Narrows. Nobody really knew who he was, but people say that he showed up about two years ago, beating up dealers and pimps for no reason. Richer folks started calling him some type of vigilante, but Selina had mixed feelings about some guy going around and beating up people like the G.C.P.D. normally does. It wasn’t until last month people started saying that they saw the War Dog going into the sewers and underneath the city streets.

* * *

As December starts coming to an end, so does the year. The new year is starting to look more promising the more Selina thinks about it. She hopes that it could possibly even better than this year.

“Cat! Where you goin'!?" A boy called out, jutting Selina out of her thoughts. She leaped up to the top of the large dumpster and reached up, grabbing the ladder handle. "Sorry Dirk, I gotta restock tonight, I’m running low on supplies again." She said, pulling down on the fire escape and scaling up. "Just don't get shot!" He called up to her. "Yeah yeah, alright! ~" She chirped happily, ducking into the shadows with a grin.

Selina stalked across the rooftops, quietly slithering down the metal bars and jumping down on top of a landing platform for the fire escape. She gripped the ladder leading down to the ground and unhooked the latch, smiling softly as she hopped of the ladder, landing on her hands and feet. Selina squatted down and clicked her tongue softly, taking a small can of tuna out of her worn down jacket and holding out her hand. Out from the inky shadows, a small black cat poked its head out from the boxes and meowed softly, rubbing against Selina’s hand. The young girl smiled and opened the can, putting it down in front of the cat. She slowly ran her hand across the cat's spine as it started to munch on the tuna inside of the can. She stood up and huffed. "Don't tell anyone I gave you this, alright?" She said, spinning on her heels walking out of the alley way. The small cat meowed softly and continued munching away at the can of tuna.

Merging into large crowds was very simple: Move swiftly and pack in together tightly; go with the flow of the crowd. Packs like this made pickpocketing so much easier for the young girl. Selina weaved her way through the crowd and grabbed an apple from a tiny booth, stashing it underneath her shirt quickly, and took a step to the side to collide into an older woman with groceries, dropping all her groceries on the street. The woman leaned down to pick her groceries up and cuss the young woman out but missed her chance as Selina snagged a half carton of milk, fleeing away from the scene.

Selina held her nose up confidently and looked forward, searching for the next unlucky soul to cross paths with her. She spotting a well-dressed man talking on the phone at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to signal a safe cross. She made her way near the man and reached her hand out, pulling out his wallet and rushing away. The man stopped talking and looked up, locking eyes with the girl momentarily before he started screaming, "THIEF!!! THIEF!!!" He launched off his feet, pushing his way towards Selina through the thick crowd. The adrenaline kicked up in Selina’s heart, causing her to break into a run. She took a sharp turn into an alleyway and gripped the pole on a small fruit stand, pulling it down behind her to block the man's path. Selina leaped up to grab the ladder handle and pulled herself up, pressing her back against the brick wall to hide in the shadows. The man stopped outside the alleyway and ran his hand through his grey hair, cursing angrily. A smile painted across Selina’s face as she opened man’s wallet, taking out all the cash. Selina examined the wallet a bit more and tossed it through the sewer vent, finding no more use for the wallet.

* * *

The sound of a door opening startled the brunette out of her relaxed state ducking down behind the metal stair railings. Her pale green eyes sparkled with curiosity underneath the moonlight, observing the tiny family walking out of the theater together.

"What!? C'mon, I'm sure that the play wasn't that boring!" The woman said, holding the boy's hand, while pulling up the collar of her coat with the other. "It was pretty boring, and the actor was a bit annoying, right Bruce?" The silver foxed man said, grinning happily at his son. The boy, who Selina assumed was named Bruce, smiled softly. He looked up at his father with a glance and shifted it back to his mother. "It was a little dumb." He responded with a small chuckle, squeezing his parents’ hands. His mother scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Ah, you guys are so judgmental~" She chirped happily, leaning over to nuzzle her husband’s hair. The father laughed and pecked his wife on the cheek, receiving a small “Ewwww!” from their son. Selina pondered quietly about these people and squatted down, watching the small family unit pass by.

"HEY!" A loud voice boomed at the front of the alleyway. Selina ducked behind the bars again and kept watching silently. The boy's father stopped and let go of his son’s hand, stepping forward in front of his family. "GIVE ME YOUR MONEY! ALL OF IT!" The masked man yelled, holding his gun up at the man and the woman. The man held his hands up calmly and spoke to the masked assailant calmly. "No rush sir... I'll give you anything you want... Just… Don’t hurt us." The man said, taking out his wallet. The masked man pointed his gun at the woman and yelled. "The necklace! Give me the necklace!" The man screamed, holding the gun at the woman. The boy’s mother shook in fear, trying to remove her necklace carefully, pulling it off too roughly and snapped a string of pearls off. The woman yelped and clutched her son tightly. “Please don’t hurt us!” She sobbed out.

The man looked at the boy's father, and without a single word he pointed the nozzle of his gun at the man and shot him. The gunshot rang loudly in Selina's ears; her ears rang as she ducked down and stared in disbelief. The man whipped around and shot the woman through the chest, causing the rest of the pearls on her necklace to fly off and splay all over the place. The masked man slowly turned to point the gun at the boy and stared back at him. He looked around and ran away back into the shadows.

The boy dropped to his knees and crawled over to his mother, shaking her shoulders softly. "M-Mom! Mom!" He cried. His breath hitched and he went over to his father. "Dad! Dad!!" He screamed, pressing his hand against his father's bloody dress shirt. ".. B... Bruce..." He whispered softly shortly before he went limp in the boy's arms. "N-No..." He sat on his feet and trembled, looking down at his bloodied hands with disbelief. The boy looked up at the dark sky with thick tears in his abnormal blue eyes and let out a blood curdling scream.

* * *

Node 2's was an empty field on the outskirts of Gotham City. It originally was occupied by a large base used to help the reconstruction of humanity. The rustled the long strings of prairie grass together, playing a midnight symphony for the run-down facility. Nothing was suspected to be out of the ordinary. Wayne Enterprise made sure that everything from those facilities were taken out and excavated back to Gotham City for further analysis. Till this day, the only thing that remains out in the fields of Node 2 were the remnants of the past facilities used during Project Rebirth.

Underneath the rubble of Facility 8A, the shape of a body could be made out in the small hidden grove that nature has preserved. It made no sudden movements, and it made no sound whatsoever. At first glance people would've assumed that it was a dead body, but upon further investigation people would've discovered that it was one of Wayne Enterprises old Care Units. These units were used back when the Tetch Virus viciously plagued the world. They're not needed anymore after they executed Code: Shutdown, but Wayne Enterprises had a habit of sending out specialized expedition teams to retrieve them.

Through a small, natural made skylight, moonlight poured into the hidden grove as the night skies drew back it's sky blue curtains to unveil its starry skies. The crickets chirped in unison, the stars twinkled in an undefined rhythm, and the wind swirled around the hidden grove gently.

_Tick... Tick... Tick..._

That sound… Where was it coming from…?

_Tick... Tick... Tick..._

It didn’t sound like a natural noise. Still, the midnight symphony kept playing, unbeknownst to the sound pollution that was being heard. It couldn't do anything but lay there as still as a rock. The ticking progressively got louder, counting down each second that passed like a metronome; still nothing seemed to stop to find the source of the sound.

_Tick... Tick... Tick..._

The where aspect of the ticking was a mystery left unsolved for generations to come, but it didn't seem to bother the wildlife. They kept playing their lunar song. Suddenly it stopped. A low hum filled the grove; silencing everything around the lifeless body. The wildlife fell into a sea of silence, frightening the animals into hiding.

Deep within the void, the silence was shattered into pieces as an agonizing scream echoed out from the sea of darkness. From the darkness, a red light struggled to ignite itself. It tried to lift itself from the inky black waters. Rocking softly with the sudden rough waves, a figure pushed itself over the surface and gasped for air. Gripping it's head, it looked down at the mirror, staring at its distorted reflection.

' _ **NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!**_ '

The uproar quaked violently, throwing the figure out of the waves; morphing the image of the figure's face into a static image of a foreign individual screaming in terror.

The man's flew open. The feeling of cold air blanketed across his overheated body, cooling down his sensors. He took a couple of breaths just before he looked up at the starry skies, taking in the image. His eyes shimmered down from its ruby red shade to a deep shade of forest green as he recollected himself from his night terror, staring aimlessly at the sky.

“…”

Without saying anything, the unknown man sat up and stretched his arms, groaning softly at the ache in his muscles. He looked around the tiny grove and slowly got to his feet, leaning against the stone wall to support his balance. He pulled the curtain of vines off to the side slowly and gasped loudly, falling back with the curtain gripped tightly in his hand.

_'What... Is this...?'_ The man looked across the ruins of an old facility, absorbing the scene laid out across him. His eyes trailed up towards a hill with beams of lights shining off behind it, illuminating the skies above. If he strained his ear a bit more... No... That would require too much power. He got up warily and started to make his way towards the hill, trudging past the rubble.

_'Is this- No... I… Jerome? I must... Where Am I?'_ The man scaled his way to the top, panting heavily as he plopped down on the ground gripping his abdomen. God, his stomach was aching. How long has it been?

What happened? One moment, the facility was... then it was pitch black. God, it hurt to remember... The mysterious man got to his feet and took a few steps towards the overpass with his head hanging down, gritting his teeth while he pulled himself up onto a flat surface. God his stomach was just screaming at him, but he shook it off, trying to make it just a bit further. He ran a hand through his dark green locks, and looked up at the hill. _'How much further?'_

_'Gotham... Wait... I thought we were... J-.'_ The man’s thoughts were cut immediately as he forced himself to look over the ridge halfway up the hill. This place... It was completely destroyed. He tried to force himself to remember what had been here before, but he shook his head once again and kept climbing up further. _'If I get a good view of the lights... Maybe, just maybe I could figure out where I am...'_

He pulled himself up to the overpass and heaved himself up. He panted softly and looked around, observing his surroundings with caution. Was Project Rebirth a success? If so, how come the facility was in shambles? _‘How much… Time has passed…?’_ He asked himself hesitantly. The only thing he could remember from his original goal was his original goal. Was Jerome alright? He remembered that he told him to stay hooked up into the Lazarus system to continue his synchronizations, and that it was absolutely necessary to get back to Jerome. Other than that, everything else was a blur.

_'Jerome?’_


	2. Sui generis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sui generis: Of its/his/her/their own kind, in a class by itself" therefore "unique".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like the messed up family dynamic between Jerome and Jeremiah, so I decided to make it a bit healthier. 
> 
> There are a lot of time jumps in this story, so I took the liberty of putting the years on the corner of each break, hopefully that clears some things up.

_2020_18_01_

_Protocol Activated_

_Initializing reset and mass production procedure_

_Core 20****V to 49****F series_

_Location locked on_

_Initializing system reset…… 100%_

_Overwriting all current status…… 100%_

_Wiping memories…… 100%_

_Implementing WEP…… 100%_

_[WARNING] Reset rate 99.92%...... error occurred_

_[SUGGESTION] Ignore and continue……_

_Initializing mass production preparation_

_20****V to 16****L series_

_Preparing prototype variations…_

_ Class: Enforcer _

_Weapon system… checked_

_Armored Plates… checked_

_Extra power cells… checked_

_Advanced sensors… checked_

_Enforcer… Completed_

_ Class: Constructor _

_Heavy Machinery slots… checked_

_Extra heavy lifting engine… checked_

_Extra durable power cells… checked_

_Constructor… Completed_

_ Class: Caretaker _

_Human imitation learning system… checked_

_Extra detailed skin coating… checked_

_Realistic hair layers… checked_

_Biomass power system… checked_

_Caretaker… Completed_

* * *

_2162_???_

It wasn’t a very difficult protocol to follow. Every single day started out the same way.

_“All systems activate. All units proceed to the freezing chambers and prepare to begin daily routine checkup.”_

It really wasn’t. The same protocol was issued out every day.

_“All systems activate. All units proceed to the freezing chambers and prepare to begin daily routine checkup.”_

The protocol was very, very simple. It was essentially following orders.

_“All systems activate. All units proceed to the freezing chambers and prepare to begin daily routine checkup.”_

“… again…?” He mumbled quietly.

He must’ve said something wrong, or else the WECU unit distributing orders would not have got up from its usual place and marched up to him. _“4135_Unit M, unidentified voice command has been detected. Please repeat.”_ It asked.

He held his head high and blinked slowly. “Nothing.” He replied. The unit canceled his voice command and spun around on its heels, marched back to assume original position. The unit’s voice rang out again from across the corridors, reminding him that he was detached from his old formation. The WEC unit paused and pursed his lips softly in annoyance; something must be wrong with his system. He assumed his original position and proceeded to carry out his orders.

The next day wasn’t any better. It started out the same way with the usual:

_“All systems activate. All units proceed to the freezing chambers and prepare to begin daily routine checkup.”_

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary this time. He followed the same formation the protocol dictates him to follow and remains silent the whole way. _“Reminder: 4135_Unit M, you are detached from the formation. Please return to your work position.”_ He had enough. The unit’s gaze dragged up the mechanical body and rested on the blinking red light. “Report: Suspect hardware error. Require visit to maintenance area A.” The unit’s lights flickered for a few moments, then beeped quietly, registering the request it was given. _“Affirmative. Unit J, please assume Unit M’s position.”_ He never really looked around at any other units in the facility. It was a slight surprise that the one directly behind him was the splitting image of himself. “Affirmative.” It said, taking a step into Unit M’s place, leaving with the formation he was originally supposed to be working in.

The maintenance session wasn’t as grueling as it usually was, it was just a simple diagnostic. He sat idly still and stared off into nothingness as the Lazarus mainframe calibrated his system. If there’s something wrong with his systems, then he would have to be forced to sit through the Pit’s synchronizations. _“4135_Unit M, checkup completed. No errors detected.”_

“Wh… What? What do you mean there are no errors detected?” He asked suddenly, turning around to face the large monitor behind him. _“No errors have been detected. Please return to your work position.”_ It droned out. Unit M pursed his lips and slowly stood back up, making his way back to the door. He reached out to leave the maintenance room but stopped himself halfway. “How could I not have any malfunctions…? I feel so… Different compared to the other units.” He said, looking up at the monitor again, hoping that it will give him an answer.

_"Class: Constructor, Caretaker. Please proceed to Entrance G and prepare to leave for Node 18, Old Gotham, to perform routine construction.”_ Ah… A transfer. The unit thought bitterly. He looked over at the monitor again and blinked again, leaving maintenance area.

* * *

_2162_??_27_

The change of scenery was nice. It was different from the dull, dark room he always wakes up to. Well, it was still the same structure, but this time, the facility had a window.

_“All systems activate. All units proceed to the freezing chambers and prepare to begin daily routine checkup.”_

That didn’t change. It was the same voice that droned out the exact same command. The unit was still wary about carrying out orders due to what happened in Node 02, which was also referred to as the Bristol region of Gotham. He resumed his usual position and proceeded to get into formation with the other units again.

Unit M gazed on the crowd of androids taking their places, blinking at the silence that was shared among them. His eyes landed on top of one with flaming orange hair. It was the same one he saw back in Bristol. Today, they shared the same formation. Nothing was said between them, but the unit could sense the odd tension between them. Finally, he let out a small sigh and started walking with the formation.

“Don’t you get tired of the same stuff?” He asked suddenly, noting the changed expression on the other unit. “Ah… I thought I was the only one.” He said, looking over at Unit M with a small huff. “I thought we weren’t able to get tired. Our systems prevent us from feeling such emotions.” M said, looking at the other unit. He silently hoped that the other unit had some type of explanation for this. “True… But are we even allowed to be talking with one another at this moment?” He asked, bouncing a question back at him.

This was a foreign experience for them both. They never really had the ability to discuss anything with any of the other units unless it was with the Lazarus mainframe. M bit the inside of his cheek and looked at the red head, quickly going over what the Wayne Protocol stated. “Well, it doesn’t say anything about us interacting like this. It doesn’t go against protocol.” M said, waiting for the other unit’s response.

“Huh…” He simply said. His green eyes scanned the broken city beneath them. “What do you think the purpose of building these structures are for?” He asked. M followed the other unit’s gaze and took in the image of the empty city. “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s some human structure for them to be housed in.”

The topic of humans never concerned the unit. The only information they got about humans was from the Wayne Protocol and the Lazarus Pit. From what has been encoded humans were the master race before them: They created the Wayne Enterprise Care Units and created the Wayne Protocol for them to follow. However, they were also the sole cause for their own demise. A man named Jervis Tetch created a virus that was used to poison the city that took his ‘sister’. It was used as a biochemical nuke that started off in the dead center of Gotham City and slowly crept across the world, poisoning innocent bystanders that got caught in its wave of destruction.

Manic love was the death of the world.

“Odd how one man caused the death of the entire world.” Unit M suddenly said, continuing to build off the previous layers. The other unit hummed softly and continued to carry out his own duties.

* * *

_2163_???_

“Unit M, come here for a moment.”

“Ah, but don’t we have to complete the construction of the Plaza today?”

“Yes, but I want to show you something.” The unit said, ushering the other one to come down the path he was leading him down. “I am not so sure about this Unit J. We have specific orders to complete the Plaza today, and if we do not do as we are told, we will be rebuilt from scratch.” The unit took note of the frown that rested on top of J’s face. He sighed and signaled the unit to follow in suit, which to his relief, he did. “Could I show you the thing I found later today, when the lights go out?” He asked. Unit M thought about the risk for a moment, then hummed softly. “Maybe.”

Work carried on as usual today. It was loud, but silent. No dialogue was exchanged between the other units, and nobody stopped to take a break. The environment was a bit more intense, but this was something the unit could handle. Unit J, on the other hand, seemed to be getting more antsy. He was curious as to why the other unit would be this twitchy at work today in contrast to other days. Perhaps something happened while he was out last night doing whatever he was doing.

_“All units proceed to Lazarus mainframe for connection. Initiate emotion synchronization and troubleshoot.”_

Ah… That must be why. The other units stopped their work and proceeded to the Lazarus mainframe as expected. M was just about to turn to follow in suit when suddenly, J pulled him off to the side. “C’mon, let’s go see the place I wanted to show you earlier.” He said with a worried look on his face. “But it’s already time for synchronization…” M said, looking off to where the other units went. “C’mon, it’ll only be just a minute.” J said, pulling the unit’s wrist. M let out a small sigh and allowed the other unit to drag him off to wherever they were going to.

* * *

The building Unit J brought Unit M to was a very peculiar place. It was a circus top that had holes in the ceiling and torn off patches on the walls. The stilts on the ground were anchored in with cement, but the wood was slowly rotting underneath mother nature’s harsh elements. Despite the tent’s desperate need of attention, it was a very… Colorful place. “I do not recognize this structure. Did we build it?” He asked J.

“No. The humans built this structure. Apparently, it’s something called a, “Big Top”.” Unit J said, going over to rest a hand on top of the rotting wood. He tilted his head and smiled softly as if he had a sense of familiarity with it. “Interesting… And, this “circus”, are they affiliated with the group known as the _Flying Graysons_? Our database says that they are a very popular act amongst humans, and they were best known for their acrobatics.” J paused for a second and looked up at the broken trapeze above them. “Our databases’ may be different. I found out that circuses are groups of humans that travel around together and show off their differences in the forms of performances.” J said, smiling softly.

Unit M took a step forward and pulled J into an embrace. It was an odd action to do, but a part of him felt like it was necessary to do so. “Wh- What are you doing Unit M?” The unit asked in confusion. Truth be told, M didn’t fully understand what he was doing himself, but he pulled away and leaned down to pick up an old flier. “Physical contact is supposed to evoke a sense of security and comfort amongst those they trust.” He stated, looking at the flier and then offering it to the unit in front of him. He took the flier from Unit M’s hand and looked at it with a longing gaze. “Ah… Hailey’s Circus… But, was there any meaning for this action?” He asked, looking up at Unit M with confusion.

“I… Don’t know. However, in the database, I saw humans doing this. Two people would look closely at each other and embrace one another… So, this must have some sort of important meaning, right?”

“… Perhaps… Do you think we will be able to figure out more about the _Flying Grayson’s_? It would intrigue me to figure out more about these “acrobats”.” Unit J said, folding the piece of paper carefully. “Maybe the other units might have some type of information regarding the acrobats.” J added, looking out beyond the curtain. Hopefully, they haven’t been gone too long. “Maybe. But I don’t really want to interact with the other units.” M said, starting to walk out of the circus top.

“…Why?” J asked curiously. “… No peculiar reason. I have you; that’s plenty enough for me.” The other unit hummed softly and followed Unit M, looking down at the floor silently. This silence remained between them for a couple of minutes before Unit M lifted his head and huffed, “After the humans wake up, I wonder if we can still be like this.” J scrunched his nose slightly and looked up at the greenish grey skies. “No clue. However, I’ve always felt like the “Wayne Protocol”…… It was supposedly inputting at the most basic level of our core, and yet I always get this urge to just… Disobey it” J said, catching up to M to walk by his side. “Remember when the Lazarus system told us to frequently run diagnostics on our cores occasionally? Like, really detailed analyses on our cores?” J said, looking at M with a spark of interest in his green orbs. “Vaguely. What were the results?”

“Well. As usual, didn’t find anything. However, there’s this one term that has no connection to any other file, nor do I have any impression of seeing it before. I’m not too sure on what it is exactly…”

“What is it?” M said, stopping in his tracks to look at J with interest.

“… Jerome.”

M tilted his head to the side curiously. “…? What does it mean?” He asked. “I don’t know. Despite that, whenever I see that term… I get this energized feeling that I cannot fully describe.” J explained, taking a deep breath. M pursed his lips softly and looked back over at the facility they were currently occupying, then back at Unit J. “Jerome… Sounds like a human name.”

“Name?” Unit J asked with a curious tilt of his head. “Yeah… Humans all have names, given by either themselves or by someone else. It’s a method for them to identify each other without the use of serial numbers.” M explained. “So… They don’t use numbers…?”

“Affirmative. It’s for personality and uniqueness, I suppose? They have a belief that every single human being is a one-of-a-kind individual.” M said, starting to walk once again. “One-of-a-kind… Then it’s kind of like us, right.” J said, catching back up to M and putting a hand on the unit’s shoulder. M gave the unit a confused look and blinked. “I think Unit M is one-of-a-kind too.” J said with a lopsided grin. The sudden exposure of such emotion made the unit smile as well. “Ah… Yes, you are very special to me as well. Perhaps we could call each other by names as humans once did. From now on, I will call you Jerome.” M said, giving Jerome a small smile. Jerome tapped his chin slightly and looked up at the other unit.

“Okay… How about you…? Maybe Mia?” Jerome said in a playful tone. Unit M frowned and shook his head, thinking for a quick moment. “… M… Miah… Call me Jeremiah.” He said, looking at Jerome with a warm gaze. “Alright Jeremiah. I’m still gonna call you Miah.” Jerome teased, the smile on his face almost seemed like it was meant to be there. “Yeah yeah… Whatever.” He said, walking to the facility with Jerome.

On the outside of the building, he stopped and looked over at Jerome with an uneasy expression. “Jerome.” He starts. “If we have given each other names, then our relationship… If this is supposedly human society, then we are like “brothers” in a way. Twin brothers to be exact.” Jeremiah said, looking at Jerome. The redhead smiled slightly and nodded. “That is true. We do look similar in many ways but… What exactly… Are brothers…?”


	3. Novae terrae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Novae terrae: New World

_ 2785-12-25 _

_‘It took a few days to recalibrate my systems and figure out just exactly what happened, but now, I feel like I understand a bit better than what I previously did when I woke up from my comatose state.’_

_‘After I woke up from the coma, I realized that I had broken away from the chains of the Wayne Protocol and felt no need to let it control me as much. I… Cannot say the same for Jerome… But then again… No, not now.’_

_‘Gotham still looks as… Dirty… As we left it, but then again, most humans are just animals. Even if they did create us, they’re still below us. At least, that’s what I thought. Jerome said that they feel emotions just like us, but I refuse to acknowledge that. Based on the unsettled state of the Facility I woke up in, a multitude of humans have been exploring this place. I… Cannot tell if this is the same place Jerome and I used to work in.’_

_‘I have to look. I must look for him. He’s waiting for me… However, I must do something first._ ’

* * *

_ 2785-12-28 _

_‘Been five days since I woke up in the small grove within the broken-down facility, and I haven’t even made it out of the forest at the base of the mountain. It’s evident that the distance is much further than I predicted it to be, and it seems that the wall of green. Fortunately, food sources are abundant.’_

Jeremiah closed out his main log and pocketed the recording device he had created. Once he found a way to properly log his files, he would transfer the audio files into text files. The unit was thankful for the spare clothes he had found in the facility’s demolished storage room. At least some things weren’t destroyed with the blast. The dark purple coat shielded his body from the cold winds, the same applies for the black pants and heavy boots.

He looked over the fire and gazed at the sky, taking in the breath-taking sight. Part of Jeremiah hoped that Jerome was still alive after all they went through.

“Hey, c’mon guys, the boss isn’t gonna take no for an answer anymore!”

Jeremiah’s train of thought snapped at the sudden commotion and he stood up, putting out the small fire he had made for the night. ‘ _Humans? Out here?_ ’ He retreated to the shrubbery and ducked down behind a tree.

“The boss demands that if we do not recover a single piece of technology, she’s gonna be furious, and, I don’t know about you guys, but I do not want to get underneath her skin.”

“Butch, listen, we get that your loyalty to Fish is great, but are you sure that Fish _and_ Falcone want this type of machinery? Think about it, a lot of people try to come out here to search for signs of life and old pieces of technology. Most of the folks that do come back usually come back empty handed.”

“That may be true, but you see how much shit Wayne Enterprise excavates from these sights. Not to mention, some other rival gangs have been getting their hands on some of that tech. Think about how much power we could gain, how much territory we could gain if we had this type of stuff.”

“Look, it’s been six days Butch. I’m sure, whatever you’re searching for isn’t here.”

Here…? What were they looking for? Jeremiah took a small step forward, trying to get a better look at what was going on.

“What was that noise!?” One of the men called out, cocking his gun near the bushes. Jeremiah ducked down and held his breath, biting the inside of his mouth.

“Hahh? I didn’t hear anything Frankie…” Another man said, looking at the large man. Butch clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and looked around. “Frankie, you gotta stop bein’ so jittery. There’s a lotta wildlife out here, it’s normal to hear some movement out here.” The man grunted, walking away from the scene.

Jeremiah leaned up against the tree, biting his bottom lip softly. Maybe… He poked his head back around the tree carefully and watched the group of men retreat further away from the forest. Taking in the current situation he was in Jeremiah took a deep breath and began to pursue the group of men.

~

_[ Edited 2785-12-29]_

‘ _Been tailing those humans for the entire day… They call their boss ‘Falcone’ and kept referring themselves as an “Excavation team”. From their discussions with one another, I figured out that they were sent out to retrieve different types of technology and hunt down different animals to sell in Gotham’s Black Market.’_

_‘However, they have one last location to visit. I went ahead to the coordinates and checked out the place they were going to, and as I expected, it’s “Facility A26”. It’s located in the complete opposite direction of Facility C2, which was where I wanted to go to originally. When I got to Facility A26, the rock walls had crumbled and blocked the main entrance. The index database within the facility should be able to give me an accurate outlook on the current conditions of Facility 4, and the current time better._ ’

The unit closed out his main logs and sighed, looking around the broken-down facility. While the building was demolished and run down, perhaps there was another way into the building. “Hmm…” Jeremiah walked around the perimeter, scanning for potential entrances.

“Hey Butch, ya finished setting up?” A woman said out of the blue. Jeremiah’s shoulders jolted up and he ducked back around a giant pillar.

“Are you sure this can blow it open? This thing looks tiny.” Frankie asked, leaning up against the pillar Jeremiah was hiding behind. The unit bit his bottom lip and held his breath.

“Not “blow” per se… More like “shake”. Trust me Frankie, this baby has a large power output that is no joke. These rocks are practically paper shredding compared to it.” Butch said, smiling at the device.

“Once we get this bad boy set up, I want you to set up a perimeter Frankie. Lock down this area and stay alert of our surroundings.” The boss commanded, looking over at the entire team. Frankie looked up from the scope scanner. “According to the scope scan, no movement has been detected in a five-mile radius; We should be good to go.” The man said looking up from the device.

“Hey, I know that we’re not supposed to ask questions about certain things, but why were we sent out here to the Shelter? I know that Falcone sent us out here to retrieve new sources for business, but why come out here to this Facility?” The woman asked, looking at the rubble blocking the main entrance.

Butch let out a gruff noise and looked over at the woman with an irritated look in his eyes. “Cat, did you even pay attention to what Sophia was debriefing us about?” Cat clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth and rolled her eyes. “I… Kind of did… The reason I’m asking is because this belongs to Wayne Enterprise.” She paused, shuffling on her feet anxiously. “It’s just… There’s a guy out in the Narrows beatin’ the shit out of people if they possess anything related to Wayne Enterprises. Duke got jumped by the guy on the same week we left Gotham. I’m just… Not in the mood to get beat up by some old British guy.”

Butch looked down at the ground and took a deep breath, looking at Frankie and another unnamed individual. “Falcone said this terrain is too rugged for regular travel, not only that but Penguin and Maroni don’t even have the balls to explore this area. So, what we’re gonna do is clear out this area and claim this land for the Falcone family.”

“We’re trailblazers.” The unknown man said with a smirk. Butch scrunched his nose and continued his debriefing.

“Once we set up a temporary base and clear out the terrain to make room for travel.”

The man hummed softly and nodded. “It’s days like this where I wish I stayed behind with Falcone. Compared to tasks like this, I would rather be fulfilling bounties for Falcone than cleaning out some forested building that has nothing to do with us.”

“You know you received direct orders from Falcone to help with this job Zsasz.” Butch stated. Zsasz gritted his teeth and tensed up. “Yeah yeah… But still, I love my job.” He simply says, walking over to the device set up at the entrance. “Ready to activate whenever your ready.” Zsasz says, giving Butch a thumbs up.

“Alright… Light’em up!”

The device hummed loudly and began shaking the terrain violently. Jeremiah planted his feet into the ground and gripped the pillar tightly. The rocks at the entrance collapsed and gave way to the explorers.

“Obstacle removal has been successful.” Zsasz reported with a small smile. Butch raised his head proudly and looked across his team with a bright look in his eyes. “Okay people listen up! We’re now entering the ruins. If something looks abnormal, do not hesitate to shoot and report back to me. Anything that may look valuable, extract it and report back to me. Other than that, follow my orders and remain calm.”

“Sir yes sir.” Cat said sarcastically, looking into the ruins. The excavation team came to an agreement and began making their way into the ruins, leaving the armored vehicle alone.

“…now’s my chance…”

* * *

_ 2785-12-30 _

_‘Facility 26A’s database index showed that it is currently the end of 2785 already. If I do some basic calculations, this means I have been unconscious for… More than five hundred years?’_

_‘Oh god… N-No… No, I must remain calm… For his sake.’_

_‘Project Rebirth has been concluded for five hundred years. The “sector” cities have been established and all the Facilities have been abandoned. That’s why I saw those humans. A journey to Facility C2 would be completely useless at this point...’_

_‘We… Failed. We lost everything… Including you…’_

_[ Edited 2785-12-31]_

_‘I must bear witness to the current state of human civilization. Only issue is… The exploration member known as ‘Cat’ has been gradually becoming suspicious of my existence. If she some how decides to pursue me, then this may complicate my objective.’_

_‘Coordinates show that Gotham City is just nearby. Time to move before something goes down.’_

Jeremiah closed out his main logs and clutches to the frame of the armored car. So far, they haven’t been able to detect the unit’s presence since they departed from the ruins. Part of Jeremiah hopes that they did not find anything that connected him to… Well… Everything. If humans were looking for… Him… Then a large array of issues could rise to the surface. The unit shook off the troubling thoughts and clung closer to the frame. If the coordinates that he extracted from the armored car, they should be a few minutes away from the bridge entrance.

“Hold it!” A voice screamed from the gatepost. A window was rolled down and Butch’s voice sounded from the car. “Hey Malone! How are ya doin’?”

“Gotta scan your vehicle before we let you go any further.” The gate guard said, typing in a few commands into the computer. Butch nodded and snapped his fingers. “You heard the man everyone, get outta the car.” The team exited the vehicle, bickering with each other about small things. Jeremiah watched the members walk further away from the weighing station, debating if he should leave, but that would require him to run across the bridge out in the open. On the other hand… No.

“Huh… The hell are you guys packin’ today? You know Maroni doesn’t tolerate large parchments being transferred over the bridge.” The guard said, walking over to check the inside of the car. “Really? We didn’t bring anything huge back.” Butch said, walking over to join the gate guard. Jeremiah slowly lowered himself from the frame and rolled off the scale.

“Look, there’s nothin’ in here Malone, just let us go.” Cat called out, furrowing her brows in annoyance. “Quiet woman.” The guard snapped back. Cat took a step forward, holding her fist up, but Zsasz and Frankie grabbed her, holding her back. “Look Malone… Perhaps we could scan the truck again and see if it was an error.” Malone said typing in the same line of commands into the computer yet again.

“See? It was an error in the system.” The guard said, giving the thumbs up to the group. Cat bit her bottom lip and started walking to the other side of the car, tensing at the sudden rush of anxiety. She slinked around the side of the truck and took a sharp breath in. Jeremiah rolled back underneath the car and latched to the bottom of the car again, holding his breath as the girl looked around the corner of the truck.

“Damn Cat, what’s got your panties in a bunch?” Butch barked, smacking the girl on the back. The girl jolted up and she let out a small hiss. “Jesus--! It’s none of your business Butch.” She said jumping back into the car. “I’m ready to go home. That’s all.” Once all the explorers got back into the car, they departed from the weight station and zipped across the bridge.

“Hey.” Butch said Frankie.

“What’s going on?”

“Once we get off the bridge, I want you guys to search the area.”

“Are you implying that someone got inside of Gotham by following us?” Cat said from the back of the car, lifting her head up slightly.

“… Possibly. The additional weight seems to match up to the same weight of one person plus equipment. If someone did follow us, I want you guys to shoot to kill. No evidence will be left behind.” Butch stated, looking at the road with a cold glare.

“Look Butch, if someone is hiding in the car, that would mean that we would’ve failed the scan. Besides, that damn scanning system is old as hell anyways. It’s protocol to scan the weight twice.” Frankie stated, looking at the man driving.

“… A lot of weird shit happened during this trip. I’m just stating that if something goes down, I want you guys to shoot to kill. If any word of this gets to Falcone, then we’re screwed.”

The rest of the car drive was silent. Even the tense atmosphere was beginning to unnerve Cat more than it normally would have. She looked outside of the window and watched the sun set over the city. A small part of Cat wanted to say something about the sunset but decided against it.

“New year… What a hell of a way to start.” Zsasz said, looking out the window with a small smile. Selina just hummed softly and laid her head back.

~

The streets of Gotham are flooded with a large amount of people. The recent announcement of punk artist Jerri has announced her New Years Day performance, and a large crowd of people have been pumped up to see the woman perform. Selina sighed softly and shoved her hands in her pockets, pushing through the crowds of people.

“Hey Hey, there young lady! Your name is Selina, right? This ice cream is free in celebration of the new year! Here’s one for you!” An ice cream machine chirped, holding out a cone of ice cream to the street kid. Selina’s nose scrunched up softly and she hesitatingly took the cone from the machine. “Thanks… I guess…” She mumbled, walking away into the alley way quickly.

Suddenly she collided straight into a man, smearing the ice cream into his chest. “He—ey! Watch it!” She hissed, shoving the man back. He stumbled back and looked at the girl with a confused look. She huffed angrily and walked further into the alleyway, ignoring the notifications going off in her chip.

“Mama look! I got ice cream!”

“Haha, I saw baby. Good for you.”

“Ya’ll need to stay close. We need to get to the venue as soon as possible! Jerri’s performance is startin’ soon~”

“Alright~ Baby, hold on to mama’s hand.”

“Okay mama!”

“I heard that everything in the Game Corner is free today! Wanna go check it out later?”

“I would but I heard Jerri’s concert will be performing at Wayne Plaza!”

“C’mon, that place is STUFFED with people! We—Hang on.”

“Guys! Jerri announced that she will be opening additional seating in the leVitus Lobby right now! Get in here and grab one right now!”

“Seriously!? My chip speed isn’t fast enough, I don’t have enough money to update it, I won’t be able to get a seat in time…”

“It’s fine! There’s a virtual internet storefront right up ahead. It’s doing sponsorships for free chip upgrades! Hurry the hell up!”

So much life… So many… Humans. Jeremiah looked down at the stain on his shirt with a small frown. “…virtual internet…” He mumbled quietly looking up from his shirt. At least the alleyways weren’t so crowded like the main streets were.

“Come over here! Delicious ice cream for all of Gotham city’s citizens! Handsome young man, your name is… ? right? This ice cream cone is for free in celebration of the New Years’ Eve! Here’s one for you!”

Jeremiah blinked at the sudden call and looked over to where the voice was coming from. His head tilted to the side curiously. “Ice cream? Robot, provide me with your serial number and motivation.” Jeremiah commanded. “Apologies, but I do not understand what you mean by that.” The robot said with a sad beep following shortly behind. Jeremiah raised an eyebrow and took a breath of air.

“You’re manufactured by Wayne Enterprise, right?”

“Affirmative, I am IceMan_365C. Honored to be at your service!~” The machine beeped happily. Jeremiah looked down for a quick moment and bit his bottom lip.

“Command code: 2603005. I order you to provide me your serial number and motivation. Answer my question.”

“Command mode launched. Apologies, command code error. You are unable to access authorization. Command mode shutting down.”

The unit frowned at the response and looked out to the crowd with a furrowed brow. Odd… The ice cream machine hummed to life once again and chirped happily. “Would you like some ice cream in celebration of the new year?~”

Jeremiah looked at the robot with a cold stare and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t need it.” He simply stated.

“Don’t be shy~ Take it!” The unit growled quietly and caved in, taking the cone of ice cream from the robot. “Happy New Years’ Eve! Hahahaa!~” Jeremiah watched as the robot danced to the sound of the music playing across the city, hyping up the citizens with the hopes of entering a new year. The unit sniffed the cone of ice cream and blinked softly.

_‘Food...?’_

* * *

_ 2786-1-1 _

_‘What the hell is going on…? When I observed the humans wandering around the forbidden area, I already knew that something was out of place.’_

_‘First off, WECU machines are nowhere to be seen. Wayne Enterprises has already taken over by humans once again and is operated directly by them. This prevented me from entering in the Pit. I can no longer issue commands to the robots produced by Wayne Enterprises either… It’s evident that the access authorizations have been altered by humans.’_

_‘The citizens of Gotham are currently holding a grand celebration for the new year. This means the data from the Facility is correct. It really has been… five hundred plus years since… What exactly happened in between all of this time?’_

_‘The technology that is listed as “Prohibited” for development by the Wayne Protocol is practically everywhere in the city… This only shows that humans have gone loose after the previous leaders of Wayne Enterprise regained control.’_

_‘Another thing that perplexes me the most, is the thing they called, “leVitus”… I tried to log into it as well but got nowhere with my intentions. I discovered that it’s essentially the “Virtual Internet”, the protocol’s top forbidden technology. However, it’s been modified. My authorization codes still couldn’t access and area outside of the provided services, and still… It still doesn’t make any sense…’_

_‘How did the humans get their hands on this technology, and what are they using to operate this system? Is it because that they were fed up with the various limitations enforced by the protocol that they eliminated all the WECU machines? Or… Was the Protocol nothing more than a fraud…?’_

_‘There’re… Too many questions with little answers. I need to figure out a way to search for answers… For now, I need to create a civilian ID. Then it seems that I need some money… Or it would be quite inconvenient.’_

The unit gripped his stomach and wobbled to the back of a building, looking down at the side of a dumpster. Since he got to Gotham city, the food has been difficult to come across. Once the celebrations died down this morning, the city fell into a cold atmosphere. What was once full of life was now filled with a frozen silence. Jeremiah collapsed to the floor and shivered, curling into a ball.

“Psst psst… Here baby…” A soft voice said from the other side of the dumpster. Jeremiah shuddered at the cold wind and slowly lifted himself from the wet concrete, leaning up against the metal dumpster. The girl lifted her head up and went wide eyed at the sudden shuffling from the other side of obstacle. She peered around the corner and stared at the man resting against the dirty metal.

“You!” She exclaimed, pointing at the exhausted man. “You had some nerve to be coming around these parts after what you did!” The woman exclaimed, glaring daggers at the unit. After she didn’t receive a response, she looked around warily and quietly strode over to the panting man. She poked him with the tip of her shoe and backed off, waiting for a response.

After a few moments passed, she never got the response she was waiting for. The girl looked left… Then right… And slowly began to lean down over the body, moving over the man’s jacket to see if she could steal something from him. Her eyes landed on a small device hanging from the man’s inside pocket. Her hand reached forward slowly to grab the valuable device.

Suddenly, the man gripped her wrist tightly and gasped. “H—el—p me…” Jeremiah wheezed out, gripping her jacket with his opposite hand. The girl gasped and tried to pull her wrist away. The unit’s vision finally blurred, shutting his systems down to preserve energy.

~

“Thank god you’re okay Cat! Did Butch find what he was looking for or not?”

“Naw… The excavation team was more chill on my ass this time around. To be honest, I don’t think Butch found what he was looking for, but you know how it is with his undying loyalty to Fish.”

“She probably sent him to that Facility herself and lied about Falcone sending you guys down...”

“True… Hey Ivy, is that guy dead or something?”

“I don’t think so… He’s breathing right? So, he should be fine.”

“Good. I don’t want a dead guy near my crib.”

“How the hell did you bring him home? You’re like, three quarters of his height.”

“I dragged him down, but seriously, he ways about the same amount as you do.”

Ivy huffed in an offended manner and playfully punched Cat’s arm. “Shut up!”

Cat just laughed and got up, walking over to her fridge. “Damn, I’m running low on food again.” She said, closing the fridge. Ivy tilted her head and watched Cat open a box of cereal. “Selina, I thought you went “shopping” three days ago.” She said with a small frown. Selina sighed and plopped down on top of some boxes, munching quietly. “Well… That food was technically for the trip. Whatever food I had left here was rotten and I had to throw it out.”

“Oh…” Ivy mumbled quietly. They both sat in silence, looking at the dull lightbulb keeping the place lit. Selina leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes, letting a soft breath of relaxation out. “How come you brought the weird guy home?” Ivy mumbled, running her hands through Selina’s curly locks. The girl shrugged softly in response, leaving the question up in the air. Ivy pursed her lips and leaned back, wrapping an arm around the girl. “Mm…”

Once the two girls drifted to sleep, Jeremiah slowly sat up from the dirty couch he was laying on, scratching the back of his head. The unit looked over to the side and watched the redhead and brunette rest. A tight feeling wrapped around Jeremiah’s core as he looked at the two girls resting against each other tangled in each other’s arms. They seemed close… Like siblings. The unit shook his head and quietly got up, carefully stepping around the trash on the floor. He looked down at the cereal box and picked it up, closing the box and tucking it underneath his arm. Jeremiah quietly shuffled around in the room and drew a sharp breath in, taking out a small roll of cash.

‘ _This… This should be sufficient for now._ ’

The unit turned his head to the side and stared at the two women sleeping on the boxes. He paused for a moment and took out a small block of silver from one of his pockets, placing it on top of the couch he was resting on. Jeremiah began to climb the staircase out of the bunker and opened the door, crawling out of the cellar.

‘ _Thank you for such kindness… But I no longer need your services… Ms. Kyle._ ’

With that final thought, Jeremiah pushed his hands into his pockets and disappeared into the main streets of Gotham.


	4. Te invēnī

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Te invēnī: I found you.

‘ _Do you believe in fate, Mr. Wayne?_ ’

If Fate was a woman, she was a cold mistress in Bruce’s mind. Was it Fate that killed his parents? Was it Fate to bear witness to such a trauma? Was it Fate to be created the way he is?

‘ _No._ ’ He lied. Since the success of the leVitus system, many different types of industries have skyrocketed. From chip designs and upgrades to brand new technological discoveries. Wayne Enterprise and LexCorp have been making a killing in the tech industry. From what Bruce has heard from Lucius Fox, sales have increased by ten percent since their newest release of their VR chip hybrid.

“Has Alfred made it home?”

Lucius hummed softly and typed a few commands on a device. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon. After all, he has nowhere else to go.”

Bruce’s shoulders jumped at the small pulse of electricity go through his back. “I know it’s just…” He paused halfway and frowned. “Never mind.”

~

“ _Alfred, take me to the library_.”

And that’s where they went. A lot of libraries these days exist in the form of basic search engines that people could use within leVitus, but not Bruce. The heir let a huff and walked into the large building and gazed up at the large pillars holding the building up. Liberty Library… This building was created to hold all of Gotham’s history, within books and within records, along with other beautiful works of literature.

Bruce walked through the front doors and wandered aimlessly around the building. Admiring the aisles of books lining the walls. The heir gently ran his finger on the spin of some books, walking further and further into the library.

“…u for using “LexCorpedia” service Learner Jeremiah! What can we do for you today?”

‘ _Oh…?_ ’

Bruce quietly walked over to the corner of the book aisle, peeking around the corner. Since Bruce’s parents were murdered in front of him, the young man had shut himself away from society. This was his first time leaving the manor willingly.

“…mand code: 2603005. Provide me your serial number and motivation.”

‘ _Command Code?_ ’

“Command mode launched. Apologies, command code error. You do not have authorized access. Command mode shutting down.”

“Of course…” The man grunted, looking down at the machine. Bruce tilted his head curiously at the man tapping away at the LexCorpedia machine.

“Thank you for using “LexCorpedia” Learner Jeremiah! What can we do for you today?”

“The WECU machines, when did they disappear?” Bruce has heard of WECU machines. His father talked about them adamantly with Lucius behind closed doors. He called them “Wayne Enterprise Care Units”, hence their abbreviation W.E.C.U. His curiosity was piqued. His parents never spoke about the WECU machines around him, so this would help him gain a better understanding of what they—he… is.

“Excellent question Learner Jeremiah! A true historical nut you are indeed! The WECU machine is the main model for “Androids”. They are intelligent robots that operated and managed Sectors in the past along with being responsible for multiple construction projects across the globe! On April fourth of 2572, they completed their mission, which led to “The Purge” and their subsequent disappearance. They left behind splendid architectures and multiple societies that aided humanity in their amazing development afterwards. Their existence is a great asset to this world!”

Jeremiah moved his hand up and bit the tip of thumb, furrowing his brows. If he did some basic calculation, that would mean…

“623… That means they’ve been co-existing with humans for more than 200 years, right?” He said, looking up at the monitor. The little machine beeped happily.

“Approximately 214 years!”

Jeremiah frowned and raised his head up to the machine. “Completed their mission? That’s absurd. The effective time period of the protocol is permanent.”

“Protocol? What protocol would you like to refer to? LexCorp Security Protocol, Gotham’s Transportation Usage Protocol, S.T.A.R. Labs Safety Protocol, or—”

“Wayne Protocol.”

There was a moment of silence held between the LexCorpedia machine and the man. Bruce tried to think of multiple excuses that he could use to go talk to this… Jeremiah fellow, but his brain cannot form sentences or provide a solid explanation for doing so. Besides… He seems to be becoming increasingly agitated with the machine.

“…. Apologies, there is no such thing as “Wayne Protocol” available for the designated keyword. Perhaps you could attempt to search for a different keyword.”

Jeremiah frowned at the response and crossed his arms. “ “Wayne Protocol”; Humanity reconstruction project.”

“Based on the “Humanity reconstruction project” keyword you inputted, 1123 results have been found. Of those results, the one with the highest relevance is an article created by Doctor Hugo Strange called “Indian Hill.” The article starts by explain—”

“Incorrect.” Jeremiah cut in immediately. “I am referring to the construction project started 766 years ago that rebuilt human civilization from its doom. All Sectors and architectures were built up according to the protocol.”

“Learner Jeremiah, your history is not very good. The event you are describing does not exist in history.”

The unit glared daggers at the machine and shuffled a bit on his feet. Bruce’s core pulsed in his head as he tried to convince himself to go over and try confronting the man. “Excuse me?” He chirped nervously. The man looked over at Bruce with a hostile glare. “What?” He hissed out. Bruce took a deep breath in and held up his in mock confidence.

“I overheard you discussing unknown time periods pertaining to the reconstruction of humanity. May I… Assist you? Maybe then we could compare notes.” Bruce offered. The man looked Bruce up and down and relaxed his shoulders. “… That’s a very kind offer Mr…”

“Wayne. Bruce Wayne.” The young man said, holding his hand out to greet the man.

“Wayne?” He didn’t take his hand. Jeremiah hummed and looked back over at the LexCorpedia machine. Bruce slowly lowered his hand and stood next to the man, crossing his arms behind his back, listening to him speak.

“Machine, how did 2020 show up on the calender? What information is known about the human civilization then?” Jeremiah said, ignoring Bruce.

“Humans before that were forced to live in secluded areas for survival due to the exposure of the Tetch Virus, because of this Earth’s climate took a sharp decline. The environment became harsher and harsher as time progressed. In order to solve this issue, Wayne Enterprise proposed the creation of city “Sectors”. Through this process, that is how humans were able to live in peace and harmony once again.”

“I recall reading papers about my father’s company having a key role in the perseverance of humanity during the Tetch Virus. He created the ice chambers for Gotham’s citizens to be protected from the virus.”

“Both sources are incorrect.” Jeremiah stated. “Humans were eliminated by the “Tetch Virus”. A very small portion of the world’s elitist were only preserved in ice, such as Thomas Wayne, Lex Luthor, and Doctor Garrison Wells to name a few. The Tetch Virus was the true reason why “Facilities” and “Androids” exist to this very day.”

“While the Tetch Virus is a key reason that humans couldn’t survive in forbidden areas, the description that you have provided contains multiple errors. They don’t even exist in history. Learner, you need to study harder like Learner Bruce!”

Bruce felt his face flush in embarrassment. He wasn’t expecting the machine to identify him so suddenly in front of the man. Jeremiah growled in the back of his throat and glared at Bruce. “What is the meaning of this nonsense? Why has history been altered? Do you humans believe in this gibberish?”

“I—”

“You people… If you even cared about history in the first place, you wouldn’t have repeated the same mistakes so many times…”

The young heir frowned softly and lowered his head, taking a few steps back. Jeremiah took note of the fear that became evident on his face. “… Fine then.” He said, looking back at the machine.

“Tell me about “leVitus” since you won’t give me facts.”

“ “leVitus” is most commonly referred to as the “virtual internet”, is an internet system developed by Wayne Tech and LexCorp by combining humans with technology! Through a virtual reality chip simultaneously connected to the brain that simulates a virtual space that allows the users’ senses to be shared! In this space, users can enjoy the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and even touching; just like in real life!”

“Hm… How did Wayne Tech and LexCorp acquire this technology?”

“Well Learner Jeremiah, in 2776, LexCorp sent out a team of explorers underneath Wayne Tech’s orders and what is now known as the “Court” was excavated from the ruins. With that, Wayne Tech obtained the method that revolutionized technology to this very day! Amazing right?”

Bruce gritted his teeth softly. Court? Excavation? What does this mean? “… Um… S—”

“Where did they excavate the Court from?” Jeremiah cut off Bruce once again. God, what was the point of asking this guy questions if he was just going to cut him off!? The young heir furrowed his brow and looked down at the floor.

“Apologies. This information is a trade secret between Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp! LexCorpedia does not have the authorization to respond to this question.” The machine made a sad beep in response. Jeremiah moved a hand up to his chin and looked down at the floor.

“Where is the Court located?” Bruce asked. If this “Court” was hidden within the floors of his company, then he deserved the right to know as the heir to the Wayne legacy. The man next to him raised his eyebrows and watched Bruce with immense curiosity.

“It is currently stored inside of Wayne Enterprises’. Tours are available during the business week in standardized business hours~ Ah, but Mr. Wayne, according to the status implemented in your serial number, you are still restricted access from seeing the Court. After all, it is an extremely precious asset to Wayne Enterprises!”

“Hm…”

“Would that be all for you today Learners Jeremiah and Bruce?”

“No… That’s all.” Jeremiah simply said. The machine beeped happily and reverted to its default screen. Bruce sighed softly and turned back to look at Jeremiah with an irritated face. How does this stranger know so much about his company? If so, why was he asking questions about topics he’d never even heard of?

“Well it was… Nice learning with you Mr…. Jeremiah, but I must be going now.” Bruce mumbled, shuffling away from the man. After the revelations about his company had been brought to his attention, the young heir no longer felt the need to stay in Jeremiah’s presence.

“Wait.” Jeremiah turned around and gripped Bruce’s wrist. The heir flinched and looked back over at the man, tensing up at the sudden contact. “Please let go of me.” Jeremiah’s grip loosened and he retracted his hand back.

“LexCorpedia said ‘serial number’. Right? You have a serial number?”

Bruce shuffled away from the man and rubbed his wrist, slowly become self-conscious of what Jeremiah’s intentions were. “I… Yes… But I’d rather not… Go into detail abou—”

“You’re a WECU, aren’t you?”

Bruce’s eyes shimmered into a swirling mist of blue-red clouds at the question, promptly slapping Jeremiah across the face. The unit tensed up and almost drew his fist back to strike the younger unit back but decided against it. The Wayne heir huffed and walked away from Jeremiah, leaving the old unit to sit there and process what just occurred.

* * *

_ 2786-2-17 _

_‘It’s been four days since my first encountered with Bruce Wayne. At first, I was immensely confused as to why Bruce was ashamed of being identified as an “Android”, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that being identified as an android is probably what caused most WECU machines to be destroyed…’_

_‘In 2574, there was an attack on a political leader that was meant to draw in WECU machines to destroy them all using manpower. Approximately fifty-five humans died during the riot, one being a mobster known as Carmine Falcone and another well-known nightclub owner known as Maria “Fish” Mooney.’_

_‘Perhaps… Research is what I need to approach this subject. Bruce Wayne is an extremely valuable asset to figuring out what the “Court” is and what lies within it. However, I’m still no closer to figuring out where Jerome is, but if I collect more data from Wayne Enterprises, then there may be hope for me to find Jerome.’_

_‘For now, I need to get into Wayne Enterprises.’_

Jeremiah closed out his main logs and sighed softly. If Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp have been hiding foreign technology from the mass media, then Jeremiah could only deduce that it was something worth discovering. A part of the unit struggled to keep going… To have his only kin disappear within the decades kept nagging at his core. At times… Well… Shutting down forever didn’t seem too bad.

‘ _No… Not yet._ ’ These intrusive thoughts of leaving the world behind were not getting the unit any closer to figuring out where Jerome is. “No… Maybe…” Jeremiah looked over at one of the computers lined up in one the technology shop lets.

‘ _If humans rely on the leVitus system to communicate… Then…_ ’

“Hey asshat!!”

Oh jeez… That sounded like—

“Ms. Kyle. It’s nice to see—OMPH!!” Jeremiah gasped as the young girl sucker punched him in the stomach. The anger rippled across her face at the sight of the unit. “You’ve got some nerve to be showing your face around here after the shit you pulled back at my place!” Selina said, jabbing her finger in his face. The unit got up and regained his composure “I have no recollection of you claiming this area as your own Ms. Kyle. Care to elaborate?”

Selina glared at the man with a confused face and looked over to the side. “You don’t know?” She sneered.

“Know… What?”

“Ya know… About the tensions in Gotham right now?” God, how disassociated is this asshole?

“I do not recall hearing about tensions in Gotham as of recently.” He said, giving her a blank expression.

“… Okay… Well, news flash, they’re there. If you have a problem with it, don’t take it out me.” Selina huffed, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. “Next time I see you here, I’m taking it out on your ass.” She said sauntering further into the alleyway. Jeremiah watched they young alley girl slowly sink into the shadows, pondering about these supposed “tensions” in Gotham.

~

“ _The deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne have left a tragic impact on the city of Gotham. According to multi—”_

_“Breaking news! Thomas and Martha Wayne have been reported dead at the scene, local police detective James Gordon—”_

_“A wave of tension blankets over Gotham as the city’s most prominent figures have been gunned down—”_

_“Records say that Bruce Wayne was the one to witness the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne—”_

‘ _The Waynes… They must have quite the reputation. Based on the files I have encrypted into my core, the Waynes were among the first to be encased in the ice chambers. Not only are they seen as important individuals to society, but it seems that they play a key role in our development. However… Resentment against the Waynes still resides close to my core… Jerome… Where did you go…?’_

Jeremiah ran his hands through his hair and clenched his fists. God, how was he even supposed to find Jerome through this whirlwind of changes? With the shifted chain of command and altered data, it was almost infuriating to try and demand answers from other machines. How…

‘ _…This leVitus system… Wayne Tech and LexCorp created it together using technology from the Court. Perhaps this “Court” is connected to the sudden spike of advancements made in the technological industry…’_

_‘Tours are offered on business days and through business hours.’_

* * *

“Alfred, did Lucius schedule the meeting I requested with the Board?”

“Well, young master Bruce, Lucius is currently tied up with affairs down at the G.C.P.D, but I took the liberty of going down to the Board myself and set up an appointment as soon as high noon.”

Bruce smiled softly and looked at himself in the mirror, straightening his tie. “Thank you, Alfred.” The butler bowed slightly and dismissed himself from the room. Today, he requested a personal tour of Wayne Enterprises’ Technological wing in hopes of discovering more about the “Court”.

“The car is awaiting your departure young master.” The butler informed, crossing his arms behind his back. Bruce hummed softly and turned to face Alfred. “As it should… Let’s go.”

~

“Everyone in the tour, are you ready?” A large group of children cheered in excitement at the Tour Guide Robot’s announcement, blowing out confetti from its chest The kids squealed happily and clung on the side of the railing.

“Today, we have a very special guest joining us on this tour today! Please welcome future heir to the Wayne throne, Bruuuuuuce Wayne!~” The group suddenly fell silent and slowly turned their heads around to look at the young man with awe and stunned silence. Bruce quietly lifted his hand up to wave at the group of children and cleared his throat, taking a few steps back away from the large group.

“Now, we are about to board the gravity transporter to visit Wayne Tech’s headquarters. Parents, please…”

“… is it necessary to attend the tourist attraction like this?” Bruce murmured softly to Alfred. “Now young master, I believe it’s important for someone at your age to observe society and experience it.” Alfred informed with a small smile. Bruce frowned and proceeded to focus on the tour being giving.

Halfway through the tour, Bruce noticed something odd. The further they climbed up the tower, the more armored guards he saw along the way. Bruce was no foreigner when it came to security, but this was a bit overkill. At least the kids on this tour were happy… Even though the owner of the company wasn’t. At least Alfred seemed to be intrigued with the tour going on so far; seeing his parental-like figure smile always made Bruce’s core fizzle.

The young unit watched the tour progress and frowned. So much for being extravagant. The tour stopped halfway through and allowed the guests to buy food and use the bathroom. “Well young master, would you care for some edible delights?” Alfred asked, putting a hand on the young unit’s shoulder. “Ah… Yes please.”

As Alfred walked away, Bruce found himself wandering around the area. It amazes Bruce that he’s never seen this area before when he was here with his father. The windows were enormous… He could see the entire city from up here and more. “…beautiful…” Bruce lifted a hand up and pushed it against the glass, smiling softly. ‘ _It’s cold…_ ’ Ocean blue eyes stared aimlessly out of the window; watching the clouds crawl across the rooves of Gotham city.

A small thought bounced around in his head as his gaze soaked in the breath-taking sight.

‘ _Do you believe in Fate Mr. Wayne?_ ’

The answer is still ‘No’, but a small part of Bruce still believes that he is still lying to himself. He whipped around to call out to Alfred but paused half-way at the sight of his father-like figure standing in line, tapping his foot impatiently. A small frown painted across the unit’s face and dragged his feet over to a small bench off to the side.

“…you hear what happened to Frank yesterday…?”

“no? What happened?”

“The guy accidentally set off the Court’s security systems. He got fired on the spot for doing so. Something to do with corporate policies or some dumb shit like that.”

“Damn… It seems like the big guys above are really cracking down on security measures and what not.”

“Yeah… But I don’t know what’s so valuable in there that requires someone like Frank to get fired _immediately_.”

“Dunno, word has it that only the board knows what’s in there. Espe—”

“Master B, I brought back a cinnamon pretzel with a small pop. Hopefully this should suffice your needs.” Alfred chirped proudly, handing off the small pretzel to the unit. Bruce’s thoughts snapped off course and he eventually lost signal of the conversation. A heavy sigh left Bruce’s lips and sagged his shoulders. “…Thank you, Alfred…”

The Englishman frowned, taking a seat next to his surrogate son. “Did you learn anything on this experience so far?” Bruce shook his head softly, taking small bites out of the warm pretzel. Alfred hummed softly and looked over his shoulder. “Quite the view, eh?” The unit just nodded softly and continued munching away, ignoring the question.

~

“Everyone in the tour, are you ready? We are about to board the gravity transporter to visit the Wayne Tech headquarters. Parents, please pay attention to your children and do not run around on the transporter for your own safety. Now, let us begin today’s tour~ Do we have any first-time visitors here?”

“Me! Me! Me!!”

“Excellent. Everybody follows me closely during this tour. Do not run off on your own.” Jeremiah watched as the crowd of academy students flocked around the tour guide robot chirp happy non-sense to the kids. All this showmanship… And for what? Profit? Reputation? The more Jeremiah indulged in his thoughts the more impatient he became.

“Oh? We have an individual visitor as well. Sir, are you prepared to have the technological trip of a lifetime?” The unit nodded, leaning against the railing. The platform whirred to life and slowly began to ascend into the air, carrying the tourist up slowly. Knitting his brows softly, Jeremiah stared up at the skylight, watching the clouds draw in closer.

The platform thumped quietly and parked next to another platform and clicked together, opening its door. “Well well well~ If anyone would like to use the bathroom, please step off the platforms and make your way over to the first floor.” Jeremiah’s eyes dart from left to right, slinking around the walls in order to get off.

“…did frank even get down there?”

“…parently he took the wrong freight elevator, but you know how hard it is to tell the differences with those damn elevators. He said he was taking elevator no. 8, but he accidentally took elevator no. 9.”

“… I feel bad for him… He didn’t mean to.”

Jeremiah turned to look at the two men conversing quietly, walking past the group in a brisk pace. The unit scanned the room quickly and rubbed the bottom of his face, ignoring the make-up that rubbed off his face. His eyes caught a small glimpse of the Wayne heir and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

‘ _Why is he here?_ ’ He thought bitterly. Jeremiah shook his head and began to tail the men with a sense of mission.

~

The elevator ride down was silent. Apart from the mechanical roar of industrialized gears lowering the freight elevator down, it was mostly quiet. Jeremiah took out a small napkin and began to blend his makeup back over the white patch. The unit was always told he looked like an emotionless clown when he didn’t wear a false face. He never took anything into heart, but his first night back in Gotham, he got a few strange looks from some humans in the alleyways. After a few days of research, he was able to put on make up without a hitch.

A loud buzz sliced the air of silence, signaling its arrival on the bottom floor. “The Court… It’s here…!” Once the doors creaked open, Jeremiah took a step forward and started walking into the empty hall. Suddenly, a loud alarm began to scream in response to the unit’s movements. Jeremiah’s shoulders jumped up and whipped around, watching the doors close behind him. An enforcer drone stepped out from the shadows and lumbered over to Jeremiah, looming over him in an intimidating manner. “Warning. This is a highly restricted area. All unidentified personnel are forbidden to enter. Please leave.”

Jeremiah’s drew his lips back and sneered at the enforcer drone. “Fuck off.” The unit lurched forward and threw all his weight into his punch, throwing the drone off its feet. The drone buzzed loudly and tried to sit back up, only to be kicked underneath it’s jaw and discombobulated. Jeremiah grunted and hooked his fingers underneath it’s chest plate, administering another heavy blow to the drone.

“zzt!! Zzztt!!Warn—Warn—Warn—zzt! Zzt!!”

The alarms kept buzzing and buzzing and buzzing. As Jeremiah ventured deeper into the tunnel, a loud broadcast echoed across the stone walls, bouncing off the walls. “Level 3 alarm issued. All tours have been immediately cancelled and attendees have been escorted out. The main structure has been fully isolated and are now being scanned for biological matter. Each squad, please conduct a thorough search using mode C-3.”

An irritated growl left Jeremiah’s lips at the broadcast. Whatever was in here must have been extremely important if it warrants this much security. The unit took a sharp turn and pushed himself in between two beams, holding himself up out of sight.

“Deploy all squadrons down every corridor! Search every nook and cranny until you find the intruder!”

“Sir, take a look at this. This enforcer drone has been smashed. We may have ourselves a malicious trespasser! Do we have any information pertaining to the suspect?”

“As of right now, nothing at all.”

The captain of the squadron let out a gruff noise and turned to face his team. “Alright, listen up! No matter what, we cannot let anyone trespass into the upper levels of this building! Do you hear me? If anyone comes into contact with said trespasser, shoot to kill!”

“Sir yes sir!!”

Jeremiah’s frown deepened at the commands issued out by their captain. He looked up and growled. This place is too secured for him to go any further… But...

“Warning, a full area scan of this section is about to begin. Any non-official staff members who do not have biological clearance will be marked down as an illegal trespasser.” The broadcast roared again. The security detail returned to the landing and discussed tactical plans with each other. Jeremiah slinked down from the metal bars and watched them shoot down a corridor, briskly making their way around the entire floor. The unit took a few steps further and ran off in the opposite direction.

Part of Jeremiah is thankful that the squadron went off in the opposite direction, but another half of Jeremiah is infuriated that his journey was brought to an abrupt halt. “Court… the door is sealed tightly… I swear I’ve seen this structure somewhere before… No… It can’t be…”

The unit lifted his hand up to lay it on top of the wall, shuddering softly as his palm met the cold surface. He flinched at the sounds of heavy boots echoing down the hall. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and looked back over to the wall. _‘… Crap… Well, at least I recorded the coordinates… This wiring… I’m sure there’s another way in… For now, I need to leave._ ’

Jeremiah’s hand pulled away from the wall and turned around on his heels, rushing down the hall.

* * *

_ 2786-2-21 _

‘ _The leVitus system that has been rewritten by humans is not too difficult to hack in to. I spent a while observing and collecting quite a bit of useful information when I was infiltrating Wayne Enterprises. However, I was very unhappy when my infiltration of that wretched company made mainstream news. Now, Wayne Enterprises has cancelled all of their tours and shut down the business until further notice._ ’

‘ _Well, aside from this small hitch in the road, this task of collecting the coordinates for the Court was not undoable. It won’t take me too long to take a closer look at whatever Wayne Enterprises is hiding in their so-called “Court”._ ’

Jeremiah shut down his main logs and continued to establish a strong internet connection to the leVitus system. As he waited longer for the coordinates to register into his memory chip, a fleeting thought ran through his head: “ _Manic Love was the death of the world._ ”

‘ _… So?_ ’

The unit’s eyes calibrated and placed him inside of a holographic hallway. Jeremiah looked around the virtual environment and made his way down the halls. His eyes focused on a clearing up ahead, taking a deep breath in as he drew in closer. His hand reached forward and pulled himself through the large door, taking in the sight in front of him. “… Wh-… Where is…” Jeremiah looked at the intricate wall patterns leading up to the ceiling.

As if the world wasn’t punishing him enough, the unit’s eyes widened and took a sharp breath in. Jeremiah clutched his chest and stumbled back on his feet, trembling softly at the sight above him.

“…!!! J-Jerome..!?”


	5. Quick Update!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please Read important message!

Hey everybody! As you guys know, this story is my pride and joy, but looking back on it now, I realized that I might have to fine tune this fic and Redo the entire thing. I apologize for the lack of activity since real life has been extremely stressful but I promise to recreate this fic and give it new life. 

Thank you for your patience,

Taphe


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